The Vamp in the Camp
by ScienceLove2713
Summary: Booth and Brennan are on yet another case that starts out like any other. But when things get tough, will the team at the Jeffersonian be able to pull through or will they need help from an unexpected outsider? This case will test trust, beliefs, and strength. Will everyone make it through unscathed? *Note: This story includes information from Angel the series.
1. Chapter 1

It is late Friday night and Dr. Temperance Brennan is fast asleep with her head resting on Special Agent Seeley Booth's chest. The phone ringing startles both of them awake.

"Hello?" Booth answers, blinking at the light Brennan just turned on in the room. "Ok, we'll be right there."

To Brennan he says, "There was a body found at the camp ground, they need us to check it out."

"Alright, we'll drop Christine off at your grandfather's on our way."

Booth leans over and kisses Brennan sweetly on the lips before getting out of bed and pulling on his pants. Brennan smiles, completely content with the life they have built together. She loves her job, her daughter, and her wonderful husband. Everything is as it should be.

Booth and Brennan meet Dr. Camille Saroyan at the crime scene.

"It's a teenager, just turned 16 a week ago. Her name is Alice Witt. A group of high school students were staying on these camp grounds for a Supernatural Club field trip. According to the teacher in charge, the students split up to go investigate the woods. One of the groups came running back, screaming they found something that attacked their friend. The teacher had the group lead him to the place of the attack, that is where the body was found," Cam explains as they walk towards the body.

"I can't do anything with this body until we have it back to the lab and the bones cleaned. There are no bones showing right now," Brennan says matter of factly.

"Well, then you and I can start questioning some potential suspects Bones," Booth says with a half-smile. He loves working with his wife, especially when they get to stick together. "We have to find this kid's attacker in case he's planning anything else. I think we should go talk to that teacher."

"He went home shortly after we talked to him, as did all of the students. We told them that we'd be in contact and got their addresses," Cam informs them.

"Let's go pay him a visit."

On their way to the teacher's house, Booth calls Dr. Lance Sweets.

"Hello?" Sweets answers, his voice heavy with sleep. "It's 2 am Booth, do we have a case?"

"Hey there Sweets, yeah we have a case. A teenager was found dead in the woods by some of her friends and a teacher. They were on a trip for some sort supernatural investigations club and a group of them were attacked. I need you to go talk to the students and find out what they know about the attack and the victim. The girls name is Alice, I'll send you a list of their addresses."  
"Alright, I'm on it Booth."

Booth hangs up as they pull up to a small grey house with a wooden front porch and brown door. There is a gargoyle knocker on the door that seems too large for the house. Booth reaches up to knock, but the door swings open before he gets the chance.

"Hello, sir, how may I help you?" In response to Booth's puzzled expression he adds, "Don't worry I'm not psychic, I have cameras on my front porch at all times so I saw you approaching."

"Special Agent Seeley Booth. This here is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. We'd like to ask you a few questions," Booth says holding out his badge.

"Oh yes of course, I'm Peter Morris. Come on in. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, thank you," Booth and Brennan say in unison.

They step into the house and are lead into the living room where they are welcomed to sit on a large, over stuffed couch.

"You have very interesting décor in your home, Mr. Morris. Is that an Nkisi statue from Africa?"

"Why yes it is Dr. Brennan, I have a strong appreciation for any objects other cultures consider to hold magical powers." The rest of the room is filled with equally unique artifacts.

"Do you believe they hold magical powers Mr. Morris?"

"Of course I do, don't you?"

"Bones doesn't exactly believe in anything supernatural, do ya Bones?"

"Why would I believe in some other force that has no scientific evidence to support it? It just isn't logical."

"Not everything in this world is logical, Dr. Brennan. You would be surprised by how much people cannot explain with science," Peter says while slowly walking closer to Brennan, staring accusingly into her eyes. "You best start looking deeper than what science proves, or you'll be in for an unpleasant surprise."

"Ok, I think that's enough magic mojo talk for now," Booth says stepping closer to Brennan and putting a protective arm around her shoulders. "Tell us about your relationship with the student found dead in the camp and where this camping trip idea came from."

"I am the band director over at the High School. I had a large group of kids in my band interested in the supernatural, so we started a club. At first we would just watch shows about ghost hunting, demons, and other supernatural beings. We started doing some online research on our own, trying to compile as much information as possible. News got around the school and we had more and more members join, but Alice was one of the originals. The group decided that they wanted to do some field investigation so I arranged for them to stay the weekend at the camp. Standard field trip procedure was followed and I had two volunteer moms come as additional chaperones. I can give you their names and phone numbers. A few families donated video cameras so the students could film their investigations. It was really quite exciting for all of us."

"So the students who were attacked should have it on film? We need access to those tapes."

"The students still have the camera, you'll have to get it from them."

"Ok, now do you know of anyone who would want to pull a prank on Alice and her friends to scare them, or worse who would actually want to hurt her?"

"Nobody would want to hurt Alice. She was loved by everyone she talked to. Such a sweet girl, I don't think I've met a kinder soul in my entire life. I don't think anybody would want to pull a prank either, the club is well respected in our school and community, as is Alice."

"And you didn't hire anybody to give the kids some positive results in their investigation?"

"No, of course not! I believe as much as they do that the supernatural is out there, I would never try to fake a finding. There is no need!"

Booth's phone rings and he glances at it. Seeing Sweets' name he answers, "Hello…ok yeah we will meet you back at the lab," and hangs up. Addressing Mr. Morris he says, "Thank you, we will be in contact again. Have a good rest of your night."

Mr. Morris walks Booth and Brennan to the door and waves as they leave.

"Good night Mr. Booth and Dr. Brennan, keep your eyes and mind open. If you don't you'll regret it."

In the car Booth tells Brennan that Sweets got the tapes from the students who were with Alice. They are going back to the lab to talk to Sweets and hopefully get information from Cam about the body. Brennan seems lost in thought on something though.

"Hey, what's wrong Bones? Don't worry about what that guy said, I think he was just annoyed that you don't believe in the supernatural. He seems to be very defensive about that stuff."

"But, what did he mean about 'You'll regret it,' that sounds like a threat Booth."

"You don't have to worry Bones, I've got you. Nothing is going to happen alright?" He reaches over to clasp Brennan's hand.

"Ok," Brennan says with a tentative smile squeezing Booth's hand. She knows Booth will do what he can to protect her, he always has and always will. But, that puts him in danger too. She doesn't want to see anything happen to him and is more worried about him than herself.

They have arrived at the lab and Sweets meets Booth and Brennan at the door and they walk towards Brennan's office anxious to get to the point.

"These kids are really freaked out Booth, it was difficult to get anything out of them. They just kept repeating how scared they were and how they should have tried to save Alice instead of run. I offered my card to each of the families and told them to call if their child needed to talk. I think we should wait for them to come to us before we question them more, unless we become desperate."

They arrive at Brennan's office and Booth stops, "Sweets, you know we will have to question them if evidence shows them as suspects. But, we will at least wait until we know more before questioning."

"Alright, they just all seemed so…scared. Brandon Connor was the one holding the camera. He said he was Alice's best friend, they had been into the supernatural stuff since 6th grade. This trip was a big deal to the both of them. He seems to think that it is a supernatural being that attacked Alice, as does the other students. Here is the camera that was used, hopefully we can make something out of it."

"I'll bring the tape to Angela and go find Cam," Brennan says walking out of the room.

"Let's go talk to Alice's parents Sweets."

Cam is examining the body with Arastoo Vaziri, an intern at the Jeffersonian. The two seem to be discussing something they have found on the neck of the victim.

"I have a tape of the attack that I am going to give to Angela, have you found anything?"

Cam glances up saying, "Yes, there appears to be two puncture wounds in the neck about 4 cm apart with slight bruising. It looks like it could be a snake bite or some sort of spiked weapon. There may have been some sort of poison given orally or by inhalation as well. I'll send samples for a tox-screen, have Hodgins check for particulates, and have Mr. Vaziri clean the bones to see if they tell us anything else."

"Thank you. Mr. Vaziri, let me know when the bones are cleaned. I'll be in Angela's office."

Brennan walks into Angela Montenegro's office. She is staring at a picture of Alice pulled up on her large computer screen. The girl looks beautiful, young, and care free. Long straight brown hair and glowing green eyes. A bright smile dances on her face. It takes a moment for Angela to notice Brennan has entered the room.

"Oh, hi sweetie. I was just looking at Alice's social sites trying to find anything that shows some sort of threat or something. But then, I got caught up just looking at her…"

"She was beautiful."

"Yes, and she was loved. Every one of the people she talked to seemed to love her. Especially this guy Brandon. I think, he was possibly in love with her. They were supposed to go to the homecoming dance together, as a date. God, her life was just starting."

"Brandon, he said they were best friends."

"Yeah, well I think they were becoming a bit more than that," she says sarcastically, smiling for a second. Her smile fades, "he must be crushed." Angela glances over at the picture again with tears in her eyes. "What could they have become? What could her life have been?"

"It could have been anything Angela, it is impossible to know what would have been. But, we do know Brandon got part of the attack on camera before they ran away. Maybe, we can stop something like this from happening again."

"I'll take a look at the tape, try to see if I can get a facial recognition."

"Thank you Angela."

"No problem sweetie, hey are you ok? You seem a little freaked."

"Yeah, I'm ok. Just, Booth and I went and talked to the teacher that was in charge of the students last night. He really believes in the supernatural and magic. He told me I'll regret if I don't 'keep my eyes and mind open'. It feels like either a threat or a warning, I don't know which."

"And you're worried that something is going to happen to you? Brennan, it sounds like he is just trying to scare you because you don't believe. Don't worry too much."

"You know, Booth said almost the same thing."

"That's because it's true."

Mr. Veziri knocks as he enters the room. "Dr. Brennan, your bones are clean and I think you'll find this interesting."

Brennan and Arastoo enter the bone room where Mr. Veziri has laid out the skeleton on the table. He walks over and looks down at the left hand and wrist. Brennan joins him, looking at the bones very carefully.

"There are small fractures on the radius and ulna as well as some fractures along the outer metacarpals on both sides of the body that appear to be perimortem," says Arastoo as he points out the small cracks in the bone.

"So the victim fought her attacker. I don't understand why I should find this interesting."

"Because, the victim showed no evidence of bruising near the injuries."

Arastoo holds out photographs of the victim focusing on the hands and wrist. There is no markings that would indicate a struggle on the skin.

"That doesn't make sense, there should be some signs of bruising. There was bruising near the puncture wounds…" Brennan says trailing off. She moves to look at the neck. "There are two indents here, the puncture went through to the bone..." Her phone rings, it's Booth. "Hello," Brennan answers. "Yeah I can meet you there. See you soon." To Arastoo she says, "Mr. Vaziri, I would like you to see if you can determine what could have caused the puncture wounds and look for any other damage to the bones. I will see if I can determine the cause for lack of bruising. I have to meet Booth at the Royal Diner."

Booth is sitting at their usual table at the Royal Diner sipping a cup of coffee. He smiles when he sees Brennan walking over.

"Hey Bones, want some breakfast?"

"No thank you Booth, I'm not very hungry. How was talking to the parents?"

"They seemed almost unaffected. They were sad, but only about as much as they would be if they lost their favorite shirt. It's like they weren't even involved in their child's life. We asked them what they knew about the camping trip, but they said that they didn't know anything except that Alice was going with Brandon. They hardly knew anything about Alice's social life aside from Brandon being her best friend."

"Angela thinks that Brandon and Alice were becoming more than friends. They were supposed to go to a school dance together in a few weeks."

"Huh…that's interesting. We have to talk to him. Maybe he knows something more. Sweets and I went to talk to the two parent chaperones as well. They seemed pretty annoyed that Sweets didn't just talk to them when he talk to the children, but he didn't know and neither of them brought it up before. Both of them said that they know nothing about the attack. They were each with their own child's group. They said that they heard a scream in the woods and went back to camp to see what was going on. The teacher explained the situation, but that is all that they know."

"Do the moms believe in the supernatural too? Are they encouraging their children to pursue this nonsense?"

"Yes, the moms do believe too. They aren't as certain that the attacker was supernatural, but they encouraged me to consider all possibilities."

Brennan shakes her head, "Nothing about this case is making any sense to me…"

"What do you mean Bones? I know you don't get why people believe in what can't be proven, but just focus on the science behind it."

"But that's the thing, even the science isn't making sense…"

"What?" Booth looks surprised.

"There are two puncture wounds on the neck of the victim that show bruising. Cam and Hodgins are working to find the cause. There are also fractures on the victim's wrists and hands that happened before she died. There should be severe bruising where the injuries are, like on the neck. But, no bruising is seen. It doesn't make any sense."

"Do we know cause of death yet?"

"No, Cam's thinks a spiked weapon may have been used, but that only explains injuries. We haven't seen any injuries that truly seem fatal, the puncture wounds didn't even hit any fatal arteries so the victim could not have bled out."

"Huh…could it be a poison or something like that?"

"Cam thought maybe the girl was given a poison or the attacker used a venomous snake as a weapon because the wounds look like a bite mark."

"Sounds like Cam is reaching for a cause."

"Arastoo is looking for more injuries on the body and Cam is waiting for the tox screen. Hopefully the tape of the attack gives us more to go on for suspects."

"Until then, I'll go talk to Brandon. Why don't you go get some sleep Bones, it's been a long day and it's not even 10 yet."

"No, I…I can't sleep. And besides, I used to always stay up all night working."

"Alright, then come with me to talk to Brandon," Booth says standing up. Brennan follows.

Angela walks into Hodgins' office carrying the tape of the attack. Hodgins is observing the puncture wounds on the victim. He looks up when he hears Angela come in.

"Hey baby, how are you?"

"I'm good, find anything interesting?"

"No…not yet. I'm running some tests to see if this is a bite mark. If it is, we should pick up on some saliva. I can't seem to find any particulates in the wound so I'm at a loss on the weapon. What about you?"

"Just that Alice was completely and totally loved by everyone she talked to. I can't find a single thing that points to someone disliking her or wanting her dead. I have this tape though…of the attack…I have to watch it and see if I can get a face of the attacker."

"Hopefully that will give us something to go on, if not the attacker than maybe a weapon."

"Yeah, I was wondering if you could come watch it with me…remember what happened last time I had to watch a creepy tape made in the woods?"

Hodgins smiles, "what, you mean you getting freaked out by what looked like a ghost on screen and ended up staying the night at my place?"

"Yeah…that…well this case is being deemed supernatural by all those who were there so I have no clue what I'm going to see."

"Well it's a good thing we live together then," Hodgins says, kissing Angela on the cheek. "Yes, I'll watch it with you, I have to wait a while for my results anyways. Want me to make some popcorn?"

"Sure," Angela says with a laugh.

"Great, it'll be just like a scary movie!"

"Yeah, only it's real…"

Angela walks back to her office and puts the tape into the tape player. Hodgins comes in a few moments later with popcorn.

"Here ya go Angie. Ready?"

"Thanks and no is not an acceptable answer, so sure…" Angela says as she presses play. The tape starts. Angela and Hodgins focus on the large screen in Angela's office.

A group of teenagers are seen walking through the woods. There are two girls and two boys, plus Brandon who is holding the camera. The girls are giggling nervously and the guys are leading the way, trying to act tough.

"The one on the left is Alice, our victim," Angela points out.

As the students continue to walk deeper into the woods, the image gets darker.

"I don't think these kids are very smart with technology, they didn't even know to use night vision," Hodgins says, laughing.

"Shhh, watch!"

A snapping sound like a branch being stepped on is heard in the distance. Angela jumps, moving closer to Hodgins.

"Shit! What was that?!" says one of the guys.

The whole group stops and listens, looking around for any sign of movement. All that is heard is silence.

Alice giggles and puts her hands on her hips. Teasing she states, "One of you goofs must have stepped on a stick." Pushing in front she says, "Let's go."

The guys look nervously at each other and move forward, the other girl and Brandon following close behind. Alice is slightly ahead now, separated from the group. About a foot in front of her a figure jumps down from the tree branch overhead. The whole group screams and Angela screams with them. Hodgins places his arm protectively around her shoulders.

"Shhh, it's ok baby"

They continue to watch.

The camera focuses on the figure in front of Alice for a moment before dropping its view to Brandon's running feet. The group continues to scream and their labored breathing is heard. Finally the running stops. The camera remains focused on Brandon's feet, but you can hear the students telling the Teacher what happened.

There is a pause before the teacher asks, "Where is Alice?"

It sounds like it's Brandon's voice that says, "Shit, I thought she was right behind us. We gotta go back. What if that…that thing got her?!" He sounds terrified.

The feet turn and begin walking and the camera is focused on the trail once again. This time, Brandon is in the lead. The voices of the others can be heard behind him murmuring.

"When the thing jumped down, we all just ran."

"I could have sworn she was right with us."

"Yeah, but nobody checked…"

"I'm really scared guys…"

Brandon's voice chimes in, "we are almost there…"

Everyone falls quiet, anticipating what they are going to see. Angela is leaning into Hodgins, knowing what is going to be found but unable to stop the tape until it is complete.

A form is seen slumped on the ground against a tree.

"Oh god…oh god, oh god, oh god…" Brandon cries.

The group gets closer to the form and it comes into focus on the screen, a pale, lifeless Alice with her head drooped to the side showing the two puncture wounds in her neck. The camera starts to shake and then falls to the ground. Brandon is heard sobbing in the background and the screen goes blank.

Angela sits staring at the screen, frozen there. Her face looks mortified. Hodgins rubs her back.

"Angie, you ok?"

"Those poor kids…."

"I know, they'll be ok though. Eventually."

"Alice won't, and I bet Brandon won't. That was terrifying for me and I was only watching a recording! God, I have to find out who or, or what did this!"

"What?"

"Well all the kids seem to think it's supernatural, you know maybe they are right. I mean it looked pretty human, but you never know I guess."

"My bet is on aliens," Hodgins says laughing.

Angela smiles, "Only one way to find out. I'll see what I can get for a face. I think the camera focused long enough for me to get a good image."

"Alright, I'll leave ya to it"

"Hey, thanks for watching with me."

Hodgins smiles, "Any time, baby."

Booth and Brennan arrive at Brandon's house and knock on the door. A woman answers with a very concerned look on her face.

"He-hello?"

"Mrs. Connor? I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan. Can we talk to your son, please? We think that he may be able to help us answer a few questions."

"You don't think he did it do you? Attacked Alice? He would never do that, they were best friends. She was practically a part of our family…"

"No, no Mrs. Connor. We think he might be able to help us understand who the attacker is. May we come in?"

"Oh….ok….yes of course."

Booth and Brennan walk into the front hallway of the Connors' home as Mrs. Connor goes to get her son.

"This woman appears very stressed," Brennan acknowledges.

"Well her son just found his best friend dead and from the sounds of it, Alice came here very often. Mrs. Connor is probably just feeling the loss and worrying about her son. That would make anyone feel stressed."

A handsome young boy comes walking down the stairs. He is tall with shaggy, dark brown hair that falls in his chocolate brown eyes.

"You wanted to talk to me?" the boy says hesitantly.

"You must be Brandon. We are very sorry for your loss. We'd like to ask you a few questions. Is that ok?" asks Booth

"Ummm…sure I guess."

"You were very close to Alice right, best friends?"

"Yeah, I wanted us to be more than that…I was starting to try to tell her a few days before…before last night. I don't think she felt the same way about me though. She always emphasized that we were friends, seemed like we never would be more. I guess I'll never know for sure now," Brandon says staring down at his hands so his long bangs shield his face. A deep, shuttering sigh escapes his lungs.

Brennan looks at him with pain in her eyes. She remembers how she felt all those years ago, knowing she might never get the chance to tell Booth how she feels about him, knowing how he felt but unable to admit she felt the same.

"I think she felt the same about you." Booth glances at Brennan surprised. She continues, "She may not have known it yet or wasn't ready to accept it, but I think she really cared for you."

Brandon glances up, "You think so?"

"Yes," Brennan says confidently even though she has no hard evidence to support that.

For a moment Brandon looks lost in thought, smiling slightly to himself. "Thank you," he whispers.

Brennan nods, not knowing what to do next. Booth glances between the two. Finally breaking the silence he says, "We think you can help us figure out who did this. Will you do that, for her?"

Suddenly determined Brandon replies, "Yes."

"Thank you. First, we have to ask you a bit about Alice. How did you know Alice?"

"We went to school together and she lived right down the street. My family moved in part way through second grade and I didn't have many friends. Alice and I became very close very fast. She was a very sweet, fun loving girl with brilliant green eyes and a knack for getting people to enjoy her presence if they paid a little attention to her. She always wanted to come over and I was very happy to have her here."

"Did she ever want you to come to her house?"

"No," Brandon's eyes darken.

"Why is that?"

"Her parents…weren't very parental. They were always caught up in work stuff. Her dad owns an art gallery and her mom is a surgeon in the city. Both jobs are pretty rigorous I guess. Her dad was always flying to different places trying to find 'the next big thing' for the gallery and her mom was always at the hospital. When they were home together, they were always fighting. Alice always wanted to get away to feel a little normalcy. My mom took her in as practically one of her own."

"Her parents had issues with anger towards each other, were they ever angry towards her?"

"No, it was more like she didn't exist. If you guys didn't tell them what happened to Alice, they probably would not have noticed her absence for a while…"

"Would they ever want to harm her…or get rid of her?"

"No, she didn't bother them so they wouldn't bother taking the time to do something to get her out of their life. It wouldn't be worth it for them."

"Alright, thank you. Can you tell us how you guys became interested in the supernatural?'

"Well, like I said she always liked coming over. She'd stay the night sometimes just to be out of the house. As we got older we started watching goofy scary movies about ghosts, zombies, vampires and such. We started watching some of the shows where they look for ghosts and realized that all these things in the movies could actually be real. This was in 6th grade. We started to do research and tried to learn as much as we could. Once we hit high school, we knew quite a bit and would talk about it in class when we thought nobody was listening. But, the band teacher overheard us and suggested we start a club. We were shocked to find how many other people believed. We did research as a group, used an Ouija Board after school once and talked to the original principle of the school. The camping trip was our first shot at true field experience though. Gosh, Alice was so excited. You should have seen how she practically vibrated with anticipation before we were sent off into our groups."

Brennan is visibly holding back what she wants to say, which is rare for her. But, she knows this boy has been through enough for today. "Why do you think it was something supernatural that attacked her?" Brennan asks.

Brandon shrugs, "It jumped down from very high and landed with such grace. The only things that can do that without hurting themselves are supernatural or animals and this was not an animal."

"Ok, thank you Brandon. That is all for now, I'd like to talk to your mom some though. Thank you and we are truly sorry for your loss," Booth says shaking the boy's hand.

Brandon nods and thanks Booth, then Brennan. "I'll go get my mom for you," he says and with that he is gone.

"Bones, that was great what you did for him."

"What?"

"You told him that Alice loved him even though you have no clue if that is how she felt."

"I understand her, she wasn't loved by her own family as a child so she was afraid to truly love anyone. She thought it would just bring pain, that she'd just end up ignored anyways. I really think she loved Brandon, but couldn't accept it herself."

Booth stares at Brennan for a moment, his obvious love for her showing in his eyes. The moment is interrupted by Mrs. Connor entering the room.

"Brandon says you wanted to speak to me?"

Booth turns to look at Mrs. Connor, "Yes, Brandon says that you took Alice in as one of your own practically?"

"That I did Mr. Booth. She was so young and bright and beautiful, I couldn't stand to see her neglected so."

"In your opinion, would Alice's parents have done anything to deliberately harm her physically?"

"No, never. They hardly ever remembered she was their daughter, she simply did not matter to them. They did not dislike her, nobody did. They did not want her hurt, they didn't realize how much they hurt her emotionally. If they did, they would be crushed."

"Thank you Mrs. Connor. We will be in touch again I'm sure. We are sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," and with that she leads them to the door.

Outside Booth says, "This is starting to make less and less sense to me too."

"Because the parents don't sound like suspects?"

"Because nobody sounds like suspects except for maybe the teacher, but I just don't feel like it is him. I'll have to go talk to him again…"

"Booth, let's go back to the lab first. Maybe someone there has made some progress. You should get some rest and then we can go talk to the teacher."

"You are resting with me after we talk to everyone."

"Ok," Brennan says, knowing there is no use arguing. He will not budge on it.

Back at the lab, Cam is just getting her results for the tox screen when Booth and Brennan walk in. She notes how exhausted they both look and wonder if she looks just as tired.

"Hello, have you received the results of the tox screen?" Brennan asks.

"Yes, they are just in. The sample has tested negative for all types of poison. We can rule out poison and snake as cause of death. Not that snake was even a very strong possibility in the first place," Cam says, the last part slightly sarcastic.

Arastoo enters the room looking perplexed. "Oh, good. Dr. Brennan you're here."

"Yes, I am. Have you found anything?"

"No, there were no other injuries other than those on her hands and wrists along with the marks on her neck. There were not any remodeled injuries either."

"So right now, we have no cause of death," Cam says.

"The only thing I can think of is the victim bleeding out through the puncture wounds," responds Arastoo.

Cam shakes her head. "There was not enough blood at the crime scene for the victim to have bled out and none of the fatal arteries were damaged."

"What about a weapon, Mr. Vaziri?" Brennan interjects.

"I couldn't determine an exact weapon. Using the indents on the bone and the sample Hodgins no longer needed after swabbing for particulates I could only determine that it had to have been a weapon with slightly curved spikes. I couldn't narrow it down to a single, known weapon."

Booth says cynically, "Great, so we have no cause of death, no real weapon, and only one tentative suspect. Could this case get any more complicated?"

"Don't forget about the unexplained lack of bruising on the injured wrists," says Arastoo.

"I guess it can," Booth mutters.

Hodgins is heard walking up behind them. "Well, I just might have a weapon but it doesn't entirely make sense. My tests came back positive for human saliva. The weapon was a human mouth."

"Very good Dr. Hodgins. But, that still does not help us with cause of death and suspects. Also, how would human teeth cause that deep of indents? If Angela does not come up with a face, we may need you to do a DNA test on the saliva."

Angela, who just walked into the room, clears her throat. "You guys need to come see this."

The whole Jeffersonian team curiously follows Angela to her office where a still of the investigation tape is pulled up on her screen.

"Now I brightened the image and restored it some to make it more focused. I then scanned it to recognize facial characteristics in order to get a face of the attacker."

As an image of a man with long black hair, a strong jaw, and cold grey eyes appears Brennan says, "So we have our attacker then?"

"Well, it's a bit more complicated sweetie. See I got a face, but when I run it against my facial recognition software and all of the recent databases throughout the country, I get no results that this guy has existed in the past 50 years. I even decided to run it against global records, still no results."

Suddenly there are sounds of a struggle near the security desk. The team runs out to the platform in time to see the security guard for this shift fly past the glass door to the lab and land hard on the floor.

Booth draws his gun and starts walking slowly towards the doors motioning for everyone else to back up and hide. From the direction of the security desk comes a short and thin woman with long blonde hair and piercing blue-grey eyes. Everyone freezes. The woman pushes through the doors striding midway to the platform and stopping. She looks fiercely at the group standing before her. With feet planted determinedly and hand on her hips she looks directly at Booth and says,

"We need to talk."


	2. Chapter 2

"You can't be in here without clearance," Brennan says stepping forward.

"Oh I think I have all the clearance I need."

Booth hesitantly lowers his gun looking at the blond woman in confusion. "Do…do I know you?"

"You did, once. Very well actually."

"Then why don't I remember you?" Booth looks almost annoyed now. Brennan has walk over to stand next to her husband. The other members of the lab stand watching, waiting for what will be said.

"That is what we need to talk about."

"Ok…then talk," Booth says raising his gun again slightly.

"Not here and not with that," says the woman, gesturing to the gun.

"Fine. Where?"

"Do you have an office?"

"Yes, but not here."

"Take me there."

Brennan intercedes, "If you go, I'm coming too."

The blond glairs at Brennan. "This is a _private _conversation."

"Look blondie, she is my wife and will be included in any 'private' conversations between you and me if she wants," Booth says assertively.

"Fine," and the woman walks out of the room.

"Be careful," warns Cam. "We don't know anything about this woman."

"We will. Stay on the case, Bones and I will take care of this."

With that, they are gone.

In the car everyone is silent. They arrive at the FBI headquarters and walk to Booth's office. As soon as the door is shut, the girl begins to talk.

"My name is Buffy Summers. I'm from Sunnydale, California but I've been traveling the world for the past few years. You and I met when I was a sophomore in high school. You helped me with some of my…responsibilities before leaving for L.A. I only saw you a few times after that and then you disappeared."

"I'm sorry, you must have the wrong guy. I was never in California, I've never seen you in my life."

"Then why did you recognize me when I first walked into the lab?"

"I don't know…familiar face?"

Buffy sighs, "Maybe you should let me tell you what else I have to say before you insist it is impossible I know you."

"Fine, talk."

"You don't remember because your memory has been altered, but your life was not what you think it was. There is a whole other world out there that you don't even know about and you used to be a part of it."

"Another world?"

Buffy sighs again, "You probably aren't going to believe this but I need you to try to. It is very important that you consider what I say."

"I'll consider it. I can't say I'll believe it, but I will consider it."

"A supernatural world…there is a world full of all those monsters people have nightmares about."

"You have got to be kidding me, I'm really getting sick and tired of all this supernatural talk. I am a pretty open minded guy. But, this is just going too far."

Brennan, who has been standing in the corner listening this whole time steps forward. "Did a man by the name of Mr. Morris send you? If so, tell him to leave me and my husband alone. This is an interference with a federal investigation and he will be arrested if his harassment persists. "

"I assure you, I don't know a Mr. Morris and I was sent by no one. I am one of many Vampire Slayers. There used to only be one, a single girl chosen to fight the battle against evil. When one died, another would be unlocked so there would always be one slayer. But, my friends and I discovered a way to unlock all the potential slayers in order to stop an apocalypse that was beginning in Sunnydale. One of the slayers notified me that you were here and that you were trying to handle a supernatural case that is much bigger than you can imagine. That is why I came. The case you are working on will become more than just another dead body murdered by some criminal who needs to be brought to justice. You need to understand who you were Agent Booth and be at least a part of that man again if you are going to survive this."

"Is that a threat Ms. Summers?" asks Booth, narrowing his eyes and leaning forward.

"No. It is a warning and an offer to help. You are at a loss Agent Booth, you don't know what your next move should be in this case because nothing is adding up. I know what the killer is and it will prove to you that this case is beyond your understanding. If I can show you that it is impossible for the murderer your team discovered cannot be human, will you listen to me further?"

Booth sits back, contemplating his next move. He looks angry and impatient, something that is not common for him lately. Brennan looks at him, silently saying that this girl is not to be trusted. But, Booth is curious as to what she can show them.

"How can you prove the killer is inhuman?"

"Look in the obituaries."

Angela is sitting in her office discussing her concerned about Brennan and Booth with Hodgins. She is not comfortable with them being alone with that insane woman who just took out all of the Jeffersonian's security guards.

"This all just seems so weird. Nothing is making sense and now Booth and Brennan run off with some stranger that Booth kinda recognizes but doesn't really trust. Plus we have a face for the killer but no records and there is all this talk of supernatural. Either everyone has lost their mind or there really is more going on than we want to believe."

"Either way, I'm sure we'll figure it out Angie."

"I hope so and I really hope Booth and Brennan are ok. That girl is obviously crazy strong or something…"

Hodgins walks over giving Angela a hug to comfort her when the phone rings, interrupting their conversation.

"Booth, oh my gosh is everything ok?...In the obituaries? If you say so." Angela scans the obituaries for a facial match to the image she obtained from the video of the attack. Shocked at what she finds, Angela gasps and sits down on her desk. Hodgins, who had been watching Angela's work stairs at the screen in amazement. "Booth, I have our killer. I don't know how this is possible, but his name is Henry Richardson and he died in 1863 during the American Civil War. The cause of death is said to be several gunshot wounds to the chest, but there was also records of a neck wound similar to the one found on our victim."

There is silence on the other end of the line for a moment, then a sigh and a click.

Booth sits behind his desk with his head in his hand. Brennan looks at him, concern evident in her expression. Buffy sits across from them both waiting patiently for Booth to say something.

Without looking up Booth mutters, "What is the killer?"

"Vampire."

Brennan presses her lips together and stairs at Buffy unamused. "Can I have a moment to speak to my husband alone?" she asks.

Buffy nods understanding and walks out of the office

"You cannot possibly believe her Booth, she sounds like she has completely lost her mind!"

"Bones, we have nothing else to go on. No, I don't totally believe her. But, we have no other explanation for the killer's ID. I want to at least hear her out, maybe it will give us something."

"Ok, well should Sweets be here?" Brennan says, still uncomfortable with listening to Buffy.

"I'll have him talk to her after she tells us the rest of the story."

"Alright, well after this can we go home and get some sleep? You need rest."

"I think I owe Angela an explanation for hanging up on her. But then yes, we can go home and sleep."

Content, Brennan says, "Good." With that she goes to get Buffy from outside Booth's office.

Buffy comes back in and sits down across from Booth. Booth looks her in the eye and says, "Tell me what is going on."

"Vampires and other beings have been gathering in the DC area. They have been laying low trying not to be noticed. We think that they are planning an attack on the government. There are similar groups gathering near the governments of all the major countries in the world. If they can take out the strongest governments, they can take over the world."

"Wait, are you suggesting a governmental apocalypse?"

"Exactly."

"How does my 'past' have anything to do with this?"

"That requires a little more of an explanation."

"I'm all ears," Booth says leaning back in his chair.

"Your name is Angel and you used to be a vampire. Gypsies cursed you with a soul so that you would suffer the guilt of all the people you killed. You gave up human blood and wandered for years brooding and full of self-loathing. That was until you made the decision to fight the evil you lived for hundreds of years. You started by helping me. You helped me many times fight day to day evil and apocalypses. But, things between us got complicated and that is when you left for L.A. You started a private investigation organization with some close friends and continued to fight the good fight. You came back to Sunnydale a few times to give me a hand but for the most part you stayed away. A lot happened in L.A. and it was discovered that there was a prophesy about you. It said that a vampire with a soul would play a pivotal role in an apocalypse. After fulfilling his destiny, he would then be granted the right to be human again. That vampire was you. You took over the L.A. branch of an evil law firm and tried to turn it towards good. But, working there also gave you an in to the realm of evil. You infiltrated a secret circle of the biggest evil beings called the circle of black thorns. With the help of your team, you took them out. This was the start of a huge fight that would eventually wipe out a large portion of the evil in the world and end the apocalypse that was ongoing at the time. The fight would not have happened without you. That was the pivotal role. When your part of the fight was done, you were turned into a human. In order to exist in normal society, your memories as Angel were repressed and you were given memories of a human life. The human memories are similar to what Angel experienced throughout his life so that you would have similar personality traits. When you were turned, what was left of your team came to find me. That was when I notified all of the slayers to look out for you. You were not supposed to become involved in this world ever again. We managed to avoid it for years. But now, it is impossible."

"And how am I supposed to become involved again?"

"We have to unlock your memories. The Powers that Be used the magics of a warlock to alter your reality. They trapped your original memories in this box. All I have to do is break the box near you and you remember everything in your life as Angel. Anyone else standing near the box when it breaks will also have their previous memories returned if they were altered. But, I don't think that is necessary because you met all of your coworkers a while after the shift in reality."

"What makes my memories beneficial?"

"You'll remember how to fight everything we are going to face. You will know all about the creatures and truly understand what we are up against. We need someone else who truly understands."

Booth stares at Buffy with a blank look on his face. This is a lot to take in and sounds very farfetched. But for some reason, maybe the lack of sleep or maybe the undeniable fact that some part of him recognized Buffy when she entered the lab, he wants to believe her.

Finally, Booth shakes his head as if to clear it. "We will talk about this more later. It has been a very long day so far and Bones and I need some time to rest and think. I'd like to take you to Dr. Lance Sweets' office. You can stay with him until I come back."

"Alright."

Booth calls Sweets and then drops Buffy off with him.

After Buffy is gone Brennan says, "Something doesn't feel right about this Booth. We've had cases that appeared supernatural before but weren't. There has to be a logical explanation for this case. I don't trust Buffy, she sounds too much like Mr. Morris."

"We will keep looking and we'll see what Sweets thinks. Besides, if none of what Buffy said is true, then letting her break the box near me won't hurt. We can have the team check it out and make sure there is no danger to it."

"I don't know, I still don't like it."

"I know. It will be ok though. Let me call Angela and then we can sleep on it."

"Ok."

Booth calls Angela and explains that Buffy believes that the killer is a vampire and assures her that they will talk about it more later when everyone is back at the lab. After he hangs up he crawls back into bed with Brennan. She moves closer to him and rests her head on his shoulder as he places his arm protectively around her. He can feel her body relax as she lets go of everything that has happened that day, giving into exhaustion.

Booth lightly kisses the top of Brennan's head closing his eyes and muttering into her hair, "I love you."

Sweets sits across from Buffy, looking at her quizzically.

"So you are saying that you and your friends have fought fantastic creatures since you were 16?"

"Yes."

"Can I ask you, what was your life like before you started fighting these beings?"

"Normal. I was in school, was a cheerleader, was popular. My parents got along about as well as most parents do. I was happy, care free even."

"Did anything change in your life right before you found out that you were the chosen one, the slayer as you put it?"

"No, nothing changed until after. But after, everything changed."

"What do you mean?"

"I started skipping class to fight demons. I missed cheerleading practice all the time and my grades started slipping. I got into a lot of trouble, even burned down a school. All because I was the slayer and I had to protect everyone from what they didn't even know was there. I wasn't allowed to tell people and so I lost a lot of friends and it caused a lot of problems in my family. I got kicked out of school and my parents divorced at about the same time. That was when we moved to Sunnydale. I was the outcast there, I had no friends except my Willow and Xander at first oh and Giles. He was the librarian and my watcher…er…he was like my trainer, for being a slayer."

"Did Willow and Xander know about your activities as a slayer?"

"Oh yes, for sure. They helped me a lot. Some other people ended up knowing and helping too. Many of them are dead now or have moved on and started a new life somewhere. Xander and Willow are still good friends though."

"Do you think it would be possible for me to talk to them too?"

"Oh yeah, if Agent Booth agrees to me helping then you'll get to meet them as well as a few more of my team. We used to be called the Scoobies cuz we were like the Scooby Gang. We don't really use that name anymore but yeah you'll meet them."

"Great, I look forward to it."

"I know you think I'm crazy, that is why you're asking me all these questions. You're a shrink and you think I should be locked up."

"I think we can help you with some things…" Sweets says uncomfortably.

"You can't help me with anything, I'm here to help you."

"Oh…ok."

"Are we done now?"

"Yes, we are done. But, you can't leave yet. Would you like to talk about something else?"

"Can we talk about you?"

"Sure."

"Great, what is your past like?"

Booth and Brennan are asleep, both sprawled across the bed. Booth begins tossing and turning. The movement wakes Brennan who turns to look at her husband. His breathing has accelerated and his brow is damp with sweat. She reaches out to place her hand on his face.

Placing the other hand on his chest, she feels how rapid his heart beat is. She gently shakes him. "Booth, Booth, wake up. Wake up, you're dreaming."

With a deep breath Booth's eyes snap open. He exhales slowly and looks up at his concerned wife.

Brennan leans down to kiss Booth on the forehead. "What was the dream about?"

"Me, I think. But, vampire me."

"What happened?"

"I was with another man, another vampire I think. We were walking through old England, laughing and drinking. Then…we walked into a house and our faces changed. They got all scrunched up and our fangs came out. We attacked a family. You…you woke me up right after I sunk my fangs into a little girl…" Booth says shaking his head as if trying to make the image go away.

Brennan lays back down next to Booth, resting her head on his chest and wrapping her arm around his stomach. "It was just a dream Booth, just a dream."

"I…I know," says Booth, relaxing slightly.

The phone rings and Booth answers. "Hello?...Oh, hey Sweets. What's wrong?...Yeah we can be there in a few minutes."

"Have to go meet Sweets?" asks Brennan.

"Yeah, he needs to talk to us about Buffy."

"Let's go then."

Sweets leaves Buffy in his office when Booth and Brennan arrive.

"Hey Dr. Brennen, Booth are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm ok. What do you think about Buffy?"

"It appears that she is experiencing some type of psychosis. She created and alternate reality where she is an important and powerful member of her world. It typically occurs as a result of a sudden change or traumatic event in her life, but it seems that no dramatic changes happened until after this alternate reality came into existence. It doesn't make sense, she doesn't sound sane but no diagnosis really fits."

"So do we believe her and let her help?" asks Booth

"You can't possibly think we should believe her Sweets, you said yourself that she doesn't _sound_ sane," says Brennan.

"I don't know if we should believe her yet. But she said she has some friends that we will meet if we agree to let her help. I think we should let her contribute some, but not fully until we get to know her friends and maybe find some more proof that this girl isn't crazy."

"Or that she is," says Brennan.

"Right," agreed Sweets.

Booth opens the door to Sweets' office and walks in followed closely by Brennan and Sweets. Buffy stands and turns to face them.

"Decided if you're going to believe me yet?"

"No, actually not really. But, we would like to allow you to help in the case. You can help provide us with information on what we are dealing with and help us to catch the killer. If you prove to be trust worthy, we will let you help more," says Booth.

"What about your memories?"

"If you prove you are telling the truth AND my wife agrees, you can unlock my memories. But if Brennan says no, then it's a no. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand. Do you want my friends to come in and help as well?"

"Yes, we would appreciate that."

"Ok, well I have to warn you that they themselves are living proof that I am not lying."

"We'll see about that."

The team at the Jeffersonian stand lined up, facing the doors, waiting for Buffy's friends to arrive. They have been informed of the situation and are uneasy about meeting these strange people. They look up as Buffy walks in followed by her friends who line up across from the Jeffersonian team. There is a tall thin man with bleach blond hair and wearing a long, black leather coat. He looks kind of uninterested, like he doesn't really want to be there. Next is a woman with curly brown hair. She is smiling, obviously excited. She is dressed simply and seems friendly. A younger man with shaggy brown hair walks in, crossing his arms and looking around as if assessing the people and the room carefully. A younger girl follows with long brown hair and a half smirk on her face. A man looking to be Buffy's age follows. He has an eye patch over his left eye and smiles politely at the Jeffersonian team. A woman with red hair walks in to stand next to him. Another girl about the same age with dark hair and intense attitude comes in. Finally, an older man with a kind face brings in the rear.

Buffy is standing next to Booth and Brennan who are looking down at the two lines of people. "These are my friends and my team. Guys, can you introduce yourselves and say one interesting thing about you?" Buffy says laughing slightly. They begin to introduce themselves in the order they walked in.

"I'm Spike and I'm a vampire," the blond says kind of sarcastically with a British accent as his face morphs and his fangs protrude.

"I'm Illyria and I'm an ancient demon," says the simple looking girl. Her hair forms blue highlights, her skin pales and develops a blue sheen on her forehead and lips. Her eyes become an icy blue.

The shaggy hair kid says, "Hey, I'm Connor. I don't look any different, but I'm the son of a vampire and I have super strength."

"I'm Dawn, Buffy's sister. I used to be a key to the gates of hell until some monks made me human and Buffy sacrificed herself to save me. Now I'm pretty normal though, well as normal as a teenager who helps her big sis fight evil can be."

"I'm Xander. I lost my eye during the final Sunnydale apocalypse because an evil preacher gouged it out."

"I'm Willow. I'm a witch. I once got addicted to the magics and then went all evil when my girlfriend died but Xander here stopped me from destroying the world. I went through a rehab like thing and now I can control myself with my powers."

"Hey, I'm Faith. I'm a slayer, I kinda went a little crazy after accidentally killing a human instead of a monster. I even went to jail for a while. But, I'm good now and here to help."

"He-hello. You can call me Giles. I was Buffy's watcher and mentor. Now I'm just her friend," says the older man in a British accent.

The Jeffersonian team stairs back at the strange people who just introduced themselves with shock written across their faces. They all wonder how this could possibly be real.

Booth looks bewildered but breaks the silence, "Alright guys introduce yourselves please. I'll start. I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth. I'm an agent for the F.B.I"

Brennan stands, looking confusedly down at her hands. Looking up, directly at the strange beings with a lost expression she says, "I'm…I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan. I'm a forensic anthropologist specializing in identifying cause of death by looking at the bones of the victim."

Angela steps forward boldly, "I'm Angela. I used to be an artist. Now I identify the remains of our victims."

"I'm Hodgins. I'm the bug and slime guy," says Hodgins with a small tentative wave.

"Dr. Saroyan. I am the head of the Forensic Division here at the Jeffersonian."

"I'm Arastoo Vaziri. I am an intern at the Jeffersonian."

"I'm Dr. Sweets. I am an F.B.I Psychologist and I'd like to talk to you all individually."

"Why's that? Wanna make sure we're not nutso?" asks Spike, rolling his eyes.

"N…no."

Faith joins in, "I think you're right Spike and you know what? I think he's gonna find out we are all a bit crazy. I mean, where's the fun in being sane?"

"Guys knock it off, you will talk to him. You know that this is important," scolds Buffy. Spike and Faith glance at each other smiling and stop talking. "Thank you. Now, I need you guys to help the Jeffersonian team here find and catch the vampire that killed a young girl named Alice. If you find out where he is, let me know. I'll go find him and bring him in for questioning. When Dr. Sweets wants to talk to you, go talk and be honest. He already knows about me. We have nothing to hide."

"Thank you Buffy."

"No problem." Turning to Booth she asks, "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to make sure your guys are working well with our people. I need to talk to Bones for a few minutes," Booth answers placing his hand on Brennan's back. She looks absolutely shocked and a little frightened. Buffy nods and walks off to check on her friends who have dispersed with various people from the Jeffersonian. Once she is gone Booth speaks.

"Bones, are you ok?"

"This…this can't be real. _They _can't be real," says Brennan pointing in the general direction Buffy's friends had gone. Tears start to run down Brennan's face.

Booth places his hand on her cheek and gently brushes the tears away. "Hey, hey it's ok."

"No! It's not OK. First Mr. Morris threatens me and…and then Buffy tells us that your past isn't really your past and now there's these things here and nothing in the case makes any scientific sense! This isn't ok!"

"I know. I'm sorry. This is all a lot to take in. But, we all saw those uh…people change and we heard their stories. It's real. Or at least they are."

"No, they have to have some sort of costumes on or something. Booth, if they are real then that puts into question everything I stand for. In order to believe this, I have to change everything I believe. I've told you before…I'm a scientist. I can't change, I don't know how."

"But you do know how. You have changed so much in the past few years. It took time and evidence but you changed. Look, I don't like it either. This calls a lot of things into question for me too. Let's just see how this goes and what the rest of the lab thinks. Ok?" Booth pulls Brennan into a hug trying to comfort her.

With a deep breath Brennan replies, "Alright, we'll see. I still don't believe it though."

While Booth and Brennan talk, Spike sits with his feet dangling over the edge of the upper level in the lab looking down at everyone working together. Faith walks up and sits down next to him. Glancing over spike says, "Thought you'd be down there makin new friends. Isn't that what good Faith does now."

"I couldn't take it, had to get away. They all seem so freaked. It's like none of this is real to them."

"Weren't you freaked when you found out that all the monsters hiding under your bed were real?"

"Don't remember. Pretty sure I was more stoked. I mean, I got to go beat bad things up for a living. Pretty sweet gig till ya go all wacko."

"Well not everyone is like you Faith. Shit, here comes the boss."

Buffy walks over to them. "What are you guys doing up here, you're supposed to be helping these people understand their case."

"Don't worry B, I think the rest of the crews got it covered. I'll go back down in a sec and see if anyone needs an extra hand," says Faith.

"Fine. So you know, I may need you guys to teach them how to fight."

Spike stands and says, "Aren't we only allowed to help solve the case? They don't seem like the fighting group. Well except maybe your boy Booth there. He's got a bit of Angel in him still, I can smell it."

"You're right, they don't seem like fighters. But, I think there's more to these people than meets the eye. And yes, we are only supposed to help with the case. But once we get the vamp here to talk, they just might change their minds."

"If you say so," Spike turns to walk down the stairs and Faith stands to follow.

"Spike wait," says Buffy. Spike stops and looks back over his shoulder. Faith pauses as well. "Come back for a second."

Spike turns around and walks back to Buffy. Faith hesitates before leaving the two of them alone. "What?"

"Why are you here?"

"Because you want me to be, why else love?"

"But, you don't want to be here."

"Course not! You're gonna try and give this man all those Angel memories. It's gonna tear the bloak apart. And if you think it means that at long last you'll get to be with your love then you're off your rocker."

"He needs the memories if he is going to protect his friends…and I don't think that!"

"Yeah, sure ya don't. Buffy, I know you. You really loved him, always will. But this man is not the Angel you loved. Not anymore." With that, Spike walks away leaving Buffy standing there alone with her thoughts.

Meanwhile, down in the lab Willow follows Angela back to her office.

"So uh, you're big on the technologies and finding people's identities and stuff right?"

"Yeah, I guess I am. Why do you ask?"

"Mind if I help, I was kinda the tech girl of the scoobies."

"Um, sure," Angela says smiling.

"Great, thanks! I suggest we look for as much information on our killer as possible. Vampires usually have a recurring type of location they like to stay in. Like crypts, or caves, or or even apartments! If we find out what type of guy he is, we can maybe figure out where he lives."

Angela types in the killer's name to her database to begin the search. "Wow, you've really done this a lot haven't you?"

"Yeah, well since I was 16. If you want, I can show you a different database to use for this kinda thing. It's more strictly for the supernatural. He might even have his own profile somewhere, he doesn't seem too good at staying under the radar."

"Oh, ok. Yeah. Here, you can do whatever you need," Angela says handing Willow the key pad. "Sorry to ask, but can you really do magic?"

"Yeah, I have to be careful though because I was already addicted. I have a better understanding of it now though and can control it much better. Wanna see something simple?"

"Yes!"

"Ok, put a pencil on your desk there."

Angela does as Willow asks and then stands back. Willow looks intently at the pencil and suddenly, it begins to float off the desk.

"Oh my gosh! You are really doing that!"

"Yeah, it was one of the first tricks I learned. I could teach you it, if you're interested."

"That would be so cool!"

"Ok, well the key is you have to feel it. Here hold my hand." Angela reaches out to grasp Willows hand. "Now close your eyes and tell me what you feel."

Angela closes her eyes and gasps. "I…I feel it. It's like a surge of energy that kinda tingles through me!"

"Good, now feel it within yourself."

"I think I feel it."

"Ok, now let go and look at the pencil. Will it to float. Make sure you concentrate wholly on making it move."

Angela releases Willows hand, takes a deep breath, and stares at the pencil. The focus is written in her eyes. Her forehead crinkles with concentration and the pencil starts to shake. After a second it starts to slowly float off of the desk. Angela exhales slowly, she hadn't realized she was holding her breath.

"I'm doing it, I'm doing it!"

"That's great, it took me forever just to do that."

"Thank you for showing me this!"

Faith, who had been waiting in the door way walks into the room. "Hey, look at you learning the magics from Will here. Looks like we might have another which on our hands. Just don't go psycho, we've had enough psychos."

Willow laughs good naturedly. "Yeah, we don't need any more of those."

"Find anything out about our vamp yet?" asks Faith.

Angela answers, "No, actually Willow was just going to help me look when we got distracted."

"Better not tell B we were off track, can I help you guys look?"

"Yeah, of course!" says Willow.

Willow starts searching though her database and telling Angela about her life in Sunnydale. Faith joins in to talk about her evil days and how she finally became good again.

Brennan walks into the room. "Angela, can I talk to you?"

"Always sweetie, what's wrong?" noting her friends distraught expression.

"Can we maybe talk in my office?"

"Sure." To Willow and Faith Angela says, "Keep working. I'll be back in a bit."

Once they are in Brennan's office, Brennan turns to look at Angela. Angela's face is riddled with concern.

"You're worried that what Mr. Morris says is true aren't you? That you'll regret it if you don't accept that these people are real?"

"Yes…and I can't…I can't accept it even though they are here, right in front of my face. Booth wants us to see what the rest of the lab thinks. So, I'm here to ask…are these people really what they say they are?"

"Well, I just felt something I've never felt before and made a pencil float thanks to Willow. Yes, I think they are who they say they are."

"I want to agree with you, to see what you see. But all I can see are a bunch of people in great costumes with some pretty intricate tricks. It's irrational for me to think otherwise."

"It's not irrational sweetie. They are here as evidence. You can see them and feel them. And so far, what they have told us is true. I know it goes against a lot, but sometimes you have to just have faith in something."

"I try. But every time I start to believe, the doubt comes back again."

"Then focus on what you do believe, the Bones and Booth. I know you trust Booth's judgment more than anyone else's."

"I do, thank you Angela."

"Anytime. I'll let you know if we find anything important."

"Good, I am going to go talk to Arastoo."

After his talk with Buffy, Spike walks over to where Sweets is talking to Buffy's friends muttering under his breath, "Might as well get this over with. Bloody psychologists, thinking they can understand us." As he gets closer though, he hears a familiar voice. It's Illyria.

Sweets is sitting at a desk with Illyria standing across from him.

"You're psychology will not work on me. I am ancient, older than your science. Its laws do not apply to me," she says.

"Oh…uh. Ok…" Sweets stutters.

"I think I have a feeling of like towards you though. You remind me of someone I used to know. He looked older though and more…used."

"Wh…what happened to him?"

"He died in my first true battle on this new earth. He made me feel grief."

"You were close with him?"

"He taught me how to live in this new world. Without him, I would have been lost. I have come a long way since then. But, I have more to learn. Will you teach me?"

"Yeah…yeah sure, I can teach you."

"Good. Teach me how the brain works. But later, we have a listener," Illyria turns her head to face Spike.

"Oh, hey there guys. Didn't even see you there," Spike lies. "I'm going to go check on Dawn and the rest of them, see how things are going."

"I will join you," says Illyria.

"Hey…hey Spike. You're the only one I haven't talked to yet."

"And you won't get to talk to me. I already know I'm absolutely bonkers," Spike replies and walk away.

Sweets places his head in his hands. Booth walks in and asks, "Have you gotten through everyone?"

"Yeah except Spike, he is refusing."

Booth who witnessed Sweets' latest Spike encounter says, "I think we can let him slide. Have you learned anything important about the others?"

"They have all been through a lot together. All of them have lost loved ones and fought in more dangerous battles than typical war. Not to mention with less training and gear. As a result of that, they have their own psychological issues. Faith seems to be one of the worst, it wouldn't take much to break her psyche. I don't really know how stable any of them are to be honest. This is way beyond anything that I have learned or seen. What I do know is, they all have the same stories or similar ones at least, with their own personal accounts of course. Nobody could make up this elaborate of a story and have this many people stay true to it."

"So we believe them?"

"Yes, we believe them. At least I think they can be believed."

"But, can they be trusted?" Booth says as he starts to walk away.

Sweets pauses for a moment and opens his mouth to answer but Booth is already gone.

Giles, Cam, Arastoo, Xander, and Dawn stand looking down at the victim's remains. They've been standing there doing just that for at least ten minutes.

Dawn is the first to speak. "Where'd all her skin and guts go? Shouldn't a dead body be more squishy than this?"

"We had to clean them off the bone so Dr. Brennan could see what she could find," Cam answers.

Arastoo says, "I've looked over the bones several times. I cannot find any other injuries besides the puncture wounds and the fractures on the wrists."

"Those puncture wounds are bite marks buddy," laughs Xander.

"Well bite marks or not, I don't think we can figure out anything else about the killer from the victim," says Cam.

"I suggest you and I possibly do some research on the group the killer is with. Willow is probably finding out where we can find him, but it is always good to know as much as possible about who we are dealing with," states Giles.

"Ok, yeah. Xander and Dawn can you help Arastoo do….something?"

Xander nods. "Sure thing Dr. Saroyan."

"Thank you Xander."

Once Giles and Cam have walked away Dawn turns to Arastoo. "You know we can't really help you with anything that has to do with this case. But we can teach you lots of cool things about vampires and demons and stuff if you want."

"Uhhh, ok. I guess…"

Spike saunters up with Illyria by his side. "Need any help, not that I really want to offer any."

"There's not really that much we can do Spike," answers Dawn.

Smiling Arastoo says, "They were going to teach me about vampires."

Spike smiles mischievously, "I can teach you something about vampires."

"Down Spike," warns Xander.

"Don't worry, wasn't actually going to do anything. What do you think I am…evil?"

Illyria speaks, "Dr. Brennan is approaching."

Arastoo looks over, seeing Brennan's determined expression he straightens his posture.

"Have you been able to gather any more information Arastoo?"

"No, there are no additional markings besides the ones we have already discussed. Buffy's theory confirms the puncture wounds as bite marks from a vampire which answers cause of death and weapon. There are no other plausible causes found."

"Thank you Arastoo."

"You're welcome Dr. Brennan."

Booth comes walking up behind Brennan. "Any more evidence?"

"No, all we have is Buffy's theory."

"Maybe we should go talk to Mr. Morris again…"

Xander raises his hand tentatively, "Uh…who is Mr. Morris?"

"He is the teacher of the victim. He warned us that this was something supernatural and to watch out. I think he may know more than he's let on," answers Booth.

"You're probably right, talking to him seems like the only thing we can do until Willow and Giles get more information on the vamp we're dealing with," says Dawn.

"I'll go with you," says Buffy, appearing across from Booth and Brennan. "It's getting dark, things are a lot less safe at night."

Brennan looks to Booth for a reaction. Booth's eyebrows furrow, "Buffy, I think we've got this."

Buffy looks back at Booth, locking eyes with his. "I'm coming with you."

Shockingly, Booth nods. "Fine."

Buffy is bent over, digging around in a big trunk she must have brought in while everyone was working. She pulls out some wooden stakes, a cross bow, and a bottle of holy water. Turning to Booth and Brennan she says, "There are a few ways to kill a vampire. The most common way is a wooden stake through the heart. Beheading or breaking their neck also works just as well. Holy water can burn them, but it usually doesn't kill. Use it only as a distraction. Normally sunlight would be a fourth option, but currently the sun is not available."

Buffy hands a stake to both of them and tries to give Brennan the bottle of holy water. Brennan refuses to take either weapon. "I don't think I will need these as we will not be facing any vampires tonight."

"Look Bones, I know you think they aren't real, but maybe you should take a stake just to be safe."

"You can never be too careful Dr. Brennan. They probably know we are looking for one of them. Chances are, they are waiting."

Brennan glairs at Buffy and grabs a stake, putting it in her back pocket.

Booth, Brennan, and Buffy arrive at Mr. Morris's house. There are no lights on inside or out. It looks as if he may have left town. Booth gets out of the car and announces that he is going to go check the house. Brennan and Buffy also get out, looking around the yard.

Booth's gun is pulled as he approaches the front door. The handle and lock are smashed and the door swings open. He toes his way in and looks around, motioning for Buffy and Brennan to follow. They proceed into the home using flashlights to sweep each room they pass. Halfway into the house, Buffy turns to sweep the dining room on her right. Directly in front of her is a tall, gruesome vampire. His eyes glow with hunger and anger. He lunges at her, but she dodges his movement.

"Guys, watch out. There will be more!" Buffy shouts.

As if on cue, two more vampires come running down the hall from upstairs. Booth instinctively points his gun, shooting but having no effect. As the two get closer, he drops his gun and starts to throw punches. Ducking to avoid blows, he tries to knock them out unsuccessfully.

Buffy knees one of the vampires in the gut and swings her fists, punching the side of his head. She brings her foot up to connect with his jaw making the vampire stumble backwards. As soon as he regains his footing, she shoves a stake in his heart. She turns to the second vampire and begins to fight with clean, practiced movement.

"The stakes, use the stakes!" she shouts.

Booth looks down at his stake, grabs it, and thrusts it into the vampire's heart. He explodes into dust.

While Booth and Buffy continue to fight, Brennan is backing up towards a wall. She cannot believe what she is seeing and is paralyzed by fear. From the basement door to the left of Brennan comes yet another vampire. This one bigger than the rest. He pins Brennan up against the wall, forces her head to the side, and sinks his teeth into her exposed neck.

Brennan lets out a weak scream. "Booth!"

He looks up just as his stake is pushed out of his hand by the vampire he is fighting. Seeing his wife in danger, an unknown instinct takes over. He turns to the attacking vampire, easily ducks below his swinging fist. When he stands back up the vampire is winding up for another hit. Before he can make a move, Booth punches him straight in the face, grabs his head, and snaps his neck. Realizing he has no stake and breaking the vampire's neck would rip Brennan's neck open, Booth shouts to Buffy. She sees Brennan pinned to the wall and immediately tosses her stake to Booth.

"Save her!" yells Buffy as she continues to fight her vampire.

Booth can see the life draining from Brennan. He runs towards the feeding vampire and plunges the stake into his heart. He dusts and Brennan begins to slide down the wall, collapsing. Booth reaches out and catches her, holding her close.

"Booth?" she mutters as her eyes flutter closed and…

…she falls limp in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Buffy breaks the leg off a wooden chair in the dining room and stakes the last of the vampires in the house. When the dust falls she sees Brennan laying in Booths arms.

Booth looks up. "We need to get her to a hospital, now. Can you drive?"

"Yes, get her into the back. Keep your hand on her neck, she is going to be ok."

"She's lost so much blood…"

"I know, but I've seen people come back from this. Trust me, just get her in the back and tell me how to get to the hospital."

At the hospital, Booth and Buffy bust into the emergency room carrying an unconscious Brennan. Seeing the amount of danger she is in, the hospital personnel get Brennan onto a gurney and into a room.

"What happened?" asks the doctor as he walks into the room.

Buffy answers quickly, "An animal must have bit her, we found her unconscious. There was…so much blood."

"You two look like you were in some sort of fight or something, is there something I need to know?"

Booth jumps in answering, "I'm an F.B.I agent. Buffy here was on a case with me. A suspect decided to struggle. Brennan is my Forensic Anthropologist, she was doing some work at the crime scene when she was attacked, that is where we found her."

"Ok. Massive blood loss, she needs a transfusion and to rest. Please wait outside, I will let you know when she is conscious."

"Thank you doctor," says Booth. He walks up to Brennan and kisses her on the forehead. "I love you," he whispers.

Buffy watches the exchange awkwardly and then walks out to the hallway, soon followed by Booth.

"Good cover for our bruises Agent Booth and good fighting."

"It was the truth and I should have been better. I should have protected her."

"He came out of nowhere and you are out of practice."

"Out of practice? More like totally inexperienced."

"No, your body remembers how to fight them. It is part of your nature. You felt it once you saw Dr. Brennan was in danger. If you had your memories back, the impulse would have been much stronger."

"It needed to be stronger…I could have protected her!" Booth shouts.

"You always were a protective one…" Buffy mutters, looking down in thought.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Buffy raises her eyes to meet his. "Angel was…._you_ were always very protective of the people you cared about. You wanted to be able to keep them safe, always. Even the strongest of us," she says quietly. "You would have died for any of us. You gave a lot up to protect me…and whoever else you could. You can't protect everyone, Angel. You can try, but in the end we all have to fight our own battles."

"I'm not Angel…"

"But you are," says Buffy, reaching out to touch Booth's face. "I can see it right now, in your eyes. When you are fighting for someone you care about…protecting them…you are him."

At this moment, Booth can feel a strong connection to Buffy. He can tell it has existed for a very long time. It's as if he wants to reach out and wrap his arms around her waist and let her calm his worries. Instead he steps back and says, "What are you doing?"

With that statement, the glimpse of Angel that Buffy saw is gone. "I…I'm sorry. I just…I saw him…you and thought maybe…you'd remember me."

"Like I said, I'm not Angel…at least, not anymore."

Back at the lab, everyone is going about their own business unaware of the danger Booth, Buffy, and Brennan have faced. Sweets is discussing human psychology to Illyria, attempting to help her understand humans more. In return she is telling him about her people and her past. Dawn and Xander are teaching Arastoo all about vampires and other demons, taking turns telling their favorite memories from Sunnydale. Spike is listening off to the side and chimes in every once in a while to share his thoughts. Hodgins, who was drawn to Connor due to his resemblance to Zack, is learning about the soils in the Hell dimension Connor was raised in. Cam and Giles are working to understand as much as they can about the group the killer belongs to. Willow, Faith, and Angela are trying to locate the vampire that killed Alice.

"Ugh, almost everything about this guy is about his death, not his life! We do need to find out about his life right? To see what kind a person he was…is?" asks Angela

"Yeah…Ohhh here look," says Willow pointing at the screen. "This says that Henry Richardson's father was a rich plantation owner. But, when Henry was nine his father passed away. His uncle took over the plantation and kicked Henry, his two younger brothers, and his mother onto the streets. Henry stopped attending school and got work as a stable boy in order to provide for his family. As he got older, he tried to get better paying jobs so that his family could live in the rich style they had before. He was about to purchase a small plantation of his own when the war began, bringing his demise."

"Seems like we are looking for a wanna be rich boy, am I right?" says Faith. "Probably in some fancy hotel?"

"Sounds about right, but I think we should have Sweets make up a profile for him just to be sure," responds Angela.

When Sweets sees Angela and the girls approaching he stops talking to Illyria and walks up to them.

"Sweets, we need a profile of our killer. Here is the information that Willow, Faith, and I found. Can you tell us what type of place he would be living in?"

"Yeah, sure," Sweets says looking down at the information and walking to sit at his desk. "Hmmm, it looks like this guy wants the best for himself. He had everything and then had it all taken away, then he almost had everything again until he was turned. He would probably want to live somewhere with maids and cooks."

"So like a hotel, see I was right!" says Faith.

"Yes, but a very fancy hotel. He would probably want to be in the penthouse or something like that."

"Thanks Sweets. I'll compile a list of the five star hotels in the D.C. area and have Booth check them out. See if anyone has checked in who looks like Henry."

Booth and Buffy are sitting silently in the waiting room when Booth's phone rings.

"Hello Angela," Booth answers. Hearing that Angela has information about the killer, he puts the phone on speaker.

"Ok so we think the killer will be staying in one of the best hotels in the city. I have a list of probable locations. Can you go ask the hotel clerks if Henry has checked in? He probably is under a fake name."

"Sure, the sooner we can get this guy talking the better. Can you bring the list here though? We can swap places."

"Uhh…Booth? Where would that be? I thought you were talking to Mr. Morris."

"I'm sorry I…I can't believe I didn't tell you…"

"Tell me what?"

"Brennan…Brennan was attacked. We are in the hospital waiting for her transfusion to be done. We went to talk to Mr. Morris but his house had been broken into and he was missing. Some uh…guys attacked and Brennan was injured."

"Oh my gosh, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. Just worried about Brennan."

"I told you, she is going to be ok," interjects Buffy in a comforting voice. She reaches out to put her hand on his shoulder, but then decides otherwise.

"Yeah. Booth, Brennan is tough. She'll pull through," agrees Angela. "Would you rather stay there until Brennan wakes up?"

"No, we have to catch this guy. Brennan would want me to keep looking. But can you come here so that if she wakes up, she isn't alone?"

"Of course I will, be there soon."

When Angela arrives, Spike is there too. She gives Booth a big hug. "The rest of the lab send their thoughts and prayers."

"Thank you."

"Spike here insisted on coming too."

"If the vamps were at Mr. Morris' then they are bound to be where our boy Henry is. I'm not letting you go there with only this bloak," Spike explains, gesturing to Booth.

Booth nods and looks to Angela. "Here is the list of hotels. You three will be able to handle him?" she asks.

"Yeah, we'll get him. Call me if she…"

"I will."

"Thanks."

Buffy, Spike, and Booth walk out to the car. Spike gets throws a bag of weapons he had hid inside his coat into the back seat and climbs in. "Where we off to Booth?" he asks.

Booth looks at the list Angela gave him as he climbs into the driver's seat. "Well Angela said he'd be in one of the best, so why not check the best first. According to the list, the top rated hotel is…The Jefferson."

"The Jefferson it is then," says Buffy.

When the three arrive, they are shocked by the beauty of the front of the hotel. There is a beautifully detailed overhang jutting out above the door and the walls are made of smooth cream marble.

"Spike, wait here and get weapons ready. Take Buffy's cell. We'll call you if this is the place," says Booth.

"No. It's dark out, I'm coming with you."

"Guys, Henry probably isn't even here now. Like Spike said, it's dark out. He's probably out feeding."

"You said that all these vampires and monsters were supposed to be laying low before their big attack," says Booth.

"Yeah and he probably knows we are coming. He'll want to take us out himself seeing we are looking for him. He's gonna make this a personal matter," adds Spike. "Which means, he is probably waiting for us. I'm going with you."

"Ok, but let us go talk to the clerk," says Booth.

The inside is just as beautiful as the outside. Black and white checkered marble floors and sleek black walls. Elaborate paintings hung for decoration and huge tapestries for the windows. It is breathtaking.

Spike steps to the side as Booth and Buffy approach the front desk. The clerk looks up and raises his eyebrow when he sees the way the two of them are dressed. They do not look like the type of people who could afford a hotel this magnificent. Booth holds out his F.B.I badge and the clerk's eyes widen.

"How…how can I help you sir?"

"I need you to tell me if a man who looks like this has recently checked into this hotel," says Booth as he places the picture of Henry on the desk.

"Sir, I'm sorry but our guest list is confidential."

"We are conducting a murder investigation, this man is a suspect. Tell us if he has checked in here!"

"Yes…yes he has."

"What room?" says Booth through gritted teeth.

"He…he's in the Thomas Jefferson Suit…my bell hop can take you there"

"Thank you."

Spike follows as the bell hop leads them to the suit and leaves them at the door. Booth is standing in-between Buffy and Spike. He looks to each of them. "You ready?"

"Always am," answers Buffy.

"Course I am!" adds Spike.

Booth nods and Spike distributes the weapons in his bag.

"None of these will kill him, just knock him out."

They do not want to give Henry a chance to run so Buffy and Spike stand ready as Booth puts his back against the door. He kicks back hard, busting the door in and turns around quickly pointing a bow and arrow into the room. Nobody is in the main living space, so Booth continues to walk forwards while Buffy and Spike fan out to either side. They search the suit and find no one.

Suddenly, the wind blows a curtain into the room. Booth approaches the billowing cloth and sees a figure standing out on the balcony whose doors were previously blocked by the curtain. He motions for Spike and Buffy to follow and begins to move towards the doors. As they approach, the figure turns around and smiles. Booth sees it is Henry and points his bow.

"You think you can catch me?" asks Henry. Booth shoots, but Henry catches the bow. "There has only been one thing in this god forsaken world that could catch me and it is my understanding that he no longer exists."

Buffy and Spike jump onto the balcony from two open windows and attack from opposite sides. Henry easily fights them both off, knocking Spike out with one swift punch and grasping Buffy by the throat. He lifts her up into the air and holds her over the edge of the balcony. "Let her go," growls Booth.

"Oh, so she still means something to you _Angelus_….even as this poor weak human…would you still give your life for hers?"

"I am NOT Angelus, but I would trade my life for hers in a second."

"Ahhhh, so you don't remember…or you don't accept it. Interesting."

"I accept it, but remember nothing. Bring Buffy back onto the balcony and put her down."

"Or what, you'll shoot me? Then she will fall to her death."

Buffy laughs and speaks through strained vocal chords, "Wouldn't be the first time…maybe I'd stay dead this time!"

During this encounter, Spike has been regaining consciousness. Buffy notices this and musters up the strength to swing her leg up and kick Henry in the side of the head. He flinches in pain and lets go of Buffy. She begins to fall. Booth jumps to try and catch her, but Spike is up, grabs her hand, and pulls her back up. When they turn around, Henry is gone.

"You alright, love?" asks Spike.

"I've been worse…much worse. So yeah, I'm alright. That was our only lead though."

"Hey we'll find him Slayer. Might take some patrolling or some asking around, but we always find em."

"Yeah, we need to find a demon bar here in D.C. Somebody there would know where to find him."

Booth's phone rings. "Hello, Angela. Is she awake?...Yeah? Good, I'll be right there." To Buffy and Spike he says, "I have to go be with Brennan. Take Sweets if you want, he's good at telling if people are lying or holding back information. Let me know if you locate him, I can help bring him in."

"No offence, but I think you kind of hold us back. I mean, without your memories you're not as quick on your feet as you were…" says Spike.

Buffy looks shocked. Spike didn't want Booth to have back his Angel memories and wasn't a huge fan of Angel before the change. "Spike has a point, if you had them back we'd be much better off. But, until then I think we should just take Faith."

"Hey, I'm quick on my feet!" protests Booth. Spike raises an eyebrow and Buffy leans back folding her arms. Scowling, Booth says, "Fine, bring whoever you want. Just bring him in."

Booth returns to the hospital as fast as possible, bringing Buffy and Spike with him so they can use Angela's car. Brennan is holding Angela's hand, siting up in her hospital bed hooked up to all the monitors and an IV. Her face is ghostly white and she looks exhausted. When Booth walks in her eyes light up and she manages a weak smile.

"Hey there Bones, how ya feeling?"

"Probably as bad as I look."

"You look beautiful, like always," Booth says kissing her gently on the forehead and then the lips.

"Don't lie to me just to make me feel better Booth," says Brennan glaring slightly but unable to conceal her amusement.

Angela stands up. "I'll leave you two alone for a bit. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Angela," says Brennan. Once she leaves the room Brennan turns back to Booth. "Did you catch him? The killer?"

"Wow, right to the point," Booth says laughing. "No, we didn't. We found him and he attacked. He's strong…and fast. Claims that we will never be able to catch him."

"Do you believe that?"

"You know, to be honest, I don't know."

"We always catch them in the end Booth, even the ones that are best at escaping."

"Yeah, but things are different this time."

"You mean supernatural?"

"Yeah, I know you don't agree with it. But after what happened to you and what happened with Henry, I really do believe it."

"I…I do agree with it." Booth looks at Brennan surprised. "It would be illogical for me not to. I have been shown several non-human beings today and I have been attacked by a group of vampires. The evidence is there, I was just too stubborn to believe it."

"That…that is great that you are accepting this Bones."

"That doesn't mean I believe in God or ghosts or anything. Just the things that we have seen, or will see."

"Will see?"

"You remember what Buffy said, there is some sort of apocalypse coming. From what I gathered, she was implying that we need to fight it. I'm anticipating seeing more creatures I am not familiar with."

"But we were only going to fight if I…does that mean that you are alright with me…"

"Getting back your memory? If it is important to keeping people safe, then yes I am ok with it. Are you? Do you still want to?"

"I don't know. I don't want to become a different man, but if I don't get the memories this could be the end of the world."

"Booth, you would always do anything to save people regardless of how it changed you. You are a good man. I don't think Buffy would want you to have your memories back if she thought it would change that. After all, she is expecting you to help save the world."

"She also said that I…well Angel me…always was trying to protect people and that my memories were made so that my personality would be similar to Angel's. So, I wouldn't change too much…right?"

"You already know what you are going to do, so stop questioning it. Just follow your heart."

"You're saying a lot of surprising things today, you sure you're alright? It isn't the meds talking?"

Laughing Brennan responds, "No, it isn't the meds Booth. It's just, you taught me that sometimes you have to follow your heart. This is one of those times. It seems that the fate of…well everything…depends on you."

Booth leans over and kisses Brennan. "Rest now, I'm going to go call Buffy."

"Alright, come back after you have gotten your memories."

"Of course," Booth says, about to walk out of the room.

"And Booth?" He pauses. "I love you and we will get through this together. No matter what happens."

"I love you too Bones," Booth says smiling and he walks out the door.

Out in the hall Angela is waiting. "How is she?"

"She's doing alright. She is going to rest now. Did she say anything to you about the vampires and what she thinks?"

"No, not at all. Why?"

"Well apparently the attack on top of everything else that has gone on today has made her believe."

"That's…that's great! Surprising, but great."

"She said I can get the Angel memories back. I'm going to call Buffy and have her meet us here. You can have your car back and take Spike and whoever else they had with them back to the lab. Buffy and I will probably go to my office…or maybe the house so nobody sees anything they shouldn't."

"Ok, yeah. I'm going to go get some food. Let me know when they are here."

Angela walks away and Booth pulls out his phone to call Buffy. She picks up on the first ring.

"Buffy? Hi…Yes everything is ok, she is fine. In fact, she believes well…everything that she has seen today. She agreed to returning my memories…Come meet Angela and I at the hospital. We can swap cars. She can take Spike and whoever back to the lab."

Booth hangs up and waits. It only takes Buffy about 15 minutes to arrive with Spike and Sweets.

"So Dr. Brennan came around?" asked Sweets.

"She sure did."

Pulling Booth to the side Sweets says, "I'm not sure on this whole 'getting back your memories' thing. It could take a major toll on you psychologically."

"It has to be done Sweets. I'll be ok."

Sweets nods, realizing Booth will not change his mind.

Angela walks down the hallway and says, "Hey, looks like I have perfect timing." She takes her keys from Buffy and says, "I know Brennan isn't in the best fighting shape but take good care of him or you'll have his wife's best friend to deal with."

"I will, I promise," Buffy says calmly.

"Good. Let's go boys, don't want to hold these two up." She walks out the door followed by Spike and Sweets.

Buffy glances at Booth and sees his expression has gone from confidence to worry. Looking into his eyes she says, "Hey, it will be ok. I'll be right there with you, can answer any questions you'll have. I'll make sure everything goes right."

Booth maintains eye contact for a second as if contemplating whether or not to trust her. Feeling that oddly familiar connect he says, "Alright, let's go then."

At the lab, everyone is in the seating area in the balcony drinking coffee and talking. Angela realizes it about 11 pm. Most of them have been up since 2 am, each catching a 2 hour nap at least. Looking around, really looking at everyone, she sees how absolutely exhausted everyone feels. Sweets and Spike plop down next to Illyria and Faith. They look as if they couldn't get up again if they tried. Angela can't help but wonder how drained Booth must feel with all the information, the fight, and Brennan.

Hodgins stands and walks over to Angela, interrupting her thoughts. "Come sit down Angie, you look exhausted."

"Normally I'd make you resent saying that, but I know it's true. We all do."

Cam joins in the conversation, "It's been a long day. How's Brennan…and where is Buffy and Booth?"

"Brennan is doing well, she stabilized and regained consciousness. Visiting hours were over shortly after Booth talked to her so we are letting her rest until tomorrow. She actually has accepted what supernatural things she has seen so far. Booth is with Buffy. He is going to have his memories returned so that we can catch this killer."

"Really? Brennan accepts the supernatural? That's that hardest thing to believe I've heard all day."

"It's true," says Sweets. "I guess she realized it would be illogical not to. There was too much evidence."

"We can't do anything else until Buffy comes back. I suggest we all get some sleep," says a disheveled Giles.

"I second that statement," Xander says as he raises his had wirily.

"But, we don't really have anywhere to go Xander. We just have the cars," Willow points out.

"Well you guys could probably split up and stay with each of us. Right guys?" asks Angela.

The Jeffersonian team nod in agreement.

"I will stay with Dr. Sweets," says Illyria without hesitation.

"Ohhh Angela can Faith, Dawn, and I come with you?" asks Willow.

"Yeah, it'll be like a slumber party!"

"Mind if I join? I'll stay with Dr. Hodgins or somewhere where you girls won't be. Let ya have your 'girl time'," says Xander.

"Yeah. You can stay with me. Connor can too if he wants. Who says guys can't have sleepovers," says Hodgins, laughing.

"Um, if you'd like I could give you the keys to my apartment. I will stay with Cam and you two can stay there," says Arastoo to Giles and Spike. "It's a two bedroom apartment, you won't have to share."

"Bloody hell we won't, I'd sleep on the ceiling before I slept in the same bed as _him_," Spike says while pointing at Giles.

"Right then, well it's settled. We all have a place to stay. Somebody please let Buffy know where we have gone in case she needs us," says Giles.

"I'll call her," says Willow.

Buffy and Booth are about to walk into the house when Buffy's phone rings. Willow lets her know where they are all going to be and tells her to call if she needs help with anything. Buffy thanks Willow and tells her to go get some rest. After she hangs up Booth opens up the door and they both enter the house.

"Where do you think we should do it?" asks Booth, shifting uncomfortably.

"I think somewhere where you can be sitting or lying down. You have 277 years of memories to regain. 26 of which are memories from your previous human life…"

"Wow…"

"So I'd suggest maybe the bedroom or…."

"Living room, living room is fine. I can lay down on the couch."

"Ok, that works then. Make yourself comfortable. I don't know how this is going to feel or how fast it is going to happen. You may get chunks of memories at a time or you might get it all at once. Either way, we have to go with it. Once we start, it can't stop. Remember, I'm here to answer any questions."

"Alright, I'm ready," Booth says as he lays down.

Buffy pulls a shiny, luminescent red box from her bag. She holds it out over the wood floor on the edge of the carpet. "I'm going to break it now, tell me what you see," she says.

A sudden moment of fear rushes through the both of them as the box slips from her hand. It seems as if it falls in slow motion. Finally it hits the floor, shattering and then vanishing. A vibrant, glowing, red ring pulses out from the place the box broke and expands across the house.

Booth gasps as it passes over him and his eyes squeeze closed. "I…I see me…as a little boy…but I'm in Ireland in the 1700s…I don't know how I know where I am or when…I just do…things are coming in as flashes of random memories from my childhood…"

"Let me know when you are getting into your twenties."

"I…I'm definitely older…my father…he hates me…oh god I'm a drunk…a drunk who treat women like they are toys…I'm just like my father…well my fake father I guess…" Booth trails off, like something important is happening. "My father and I…we fought and…and now I am going out…"

"This part is going to be important…"

Booth goes silent, paying attention to what he is seeing. His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. But then, he flinches and starts to make a sound close to a whimper. "The…the lady…the blond lady…Darla…gahhh….she bit me and it hurts…it hurts so much make it…make it stop please just…just make it stop…."

Buffy moves closer to Booth and sits down next to the couch. She places a hand on his chest and says, "You know I can't do that. It's ok…it will be ok."

"Things….things are moving faster now," Booth stutters. "Oh….oh god my father and my sister…no, no…so many people…so much blood….wait, wait…what are they…my soul…they are giving me my...AHHHHHHH…"

"It's ok, it's ok. You won't kill…much…anymore."

"I feel so bad…for everything I did. Everything…I can't take it back. I'm terrible…I'm a terrible, terrible creature. I hate who I was and who I am…I'm just wandering…but someone is convincing me to do more…to fight, to fight the good fight…I see you! You are so young…16 I think. You found out you're the slayer….I watched you a lot…oh and started helping you…but then we….we were involved….and then I killed! And…and Hell?!"

Buffy cringes remembering when Angelus returned and Buffy sent him to hell right after Willow restored his soul.

Booth continues talking, "But I came back and we were ok…after some time…but then I left and fought with some friends in L.A…we did a lot. I...oh my gosh I was human again but went back…"

"Wait what? You were human?"

"Yes, demon blood with regenerative properties…I was alive. You were there. We had a great day but I couldn't stay. You weren't safe….I couldn't protect you…"

"Always were the protector…"

"More fighting…I…I had a son…Connor is my son?!...but he was taken…so much fighting and danger and evil…it didn't stop…it took each one of us…we lost almost everyone…oh my final battle…I almost died…Lorne surprised everyone by bringing a team to help fight and Connor…he came back too. But it wasn't us who stopped it. A force bigger than any of us…brilliant and warm…it came and it ended it all…it took away the darkness, the evil…left only the good."

Booth goes silent. He is breathing heavily from how fast he was talking and how scared he was. After a few moments, his body relaxes and his breathing slows. He opens his eyes to see Buffy sitting there looking at him with a pained expression on her face. A mix of concern and apology.

"What is it, what's wrong?" asks Booth. He feels more connected to her after the experience of his memories. They were in love. She was the only woman Liam, Angelus, and Angel ever truly loved. And they went through so much together.

"Nothing is wrong. I'm just…I'm sorry you had to go through that. Are…are you ok?"

"I can't believe I did all those things…so many people…so many more people than I thought…wait. The war, the war I was a sniper in…did that never happen?"

"You didn't fight in it, no. Actually, you replaced a man who had been killed in that war. You were given his memories and his life."

"So all this time, I never really was a sniper. I didn't kill for my country…I killed for…for sport. I lived as a more evil being than my worst enemies."

"But you changed…"

"Because of a curse…"

"No, because when you have control and understanding. You are a good person. Booth, when you turn, your soul is gone…"

"I know, I felt it leaving," Booth says bitterly.

"But that means that you have no sense of remorse. No care for others at all."

"So you're saying it wasn't my fault?"

"No, it wasn't. You were following your nature."

"Yeah, but it was my fault that _that_ was my nature. If I hadn't have been such a drunk! And so…so lustful…"

"Booth, listen to me. That was the past. You can't change it. All of it is over and that isn't who you are now."

"I just…I need some time to let it all…sink in."

"I understand. You should rest, it's been a long day. I'll go see if I can join Angela's slumber party."

Booth looks at Buffy for a second contemplating what to do. Finally he says, "Why don't you stay. You can have Parkers room. It's late and there…there is a lot out there."

"Does it scare you?"

"Knowing everything that could be just around the corner? Yeah. It does."

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing you can do about it. Here, I'll show you where the bedroom and the bathroom are. Before you go to sleep, do you want anything to eat or drink or anything?"

"Do you cook?"

"Yeah, I do…I guess Angel didn't so that has to be weird for you."

"Very…what can you make?"

"Anything."

"Hmmm…but that would take time. Do you have any ice cream?"

"Cookie dough? Yeah."

"How did you…oh. Memories, have to remember that you remember."

"When I was human, we ate cookie dough ice cream in bed. You were so happy that I had it."

"Why don't I remember any of this?"

"When I asked to be turned back into a vampire they took your memories so that they could never be returned. Maybe they are locked up in a little box somewhere too."

"Maybe…anyway…cookie dough sounds great."

The two of them walk to the kitchen and Booth pulls out a tub of ice cream. He gets out two spoons and hands one to Buffy. Taking the lid off the tub, he hold out the container for Buffy to take a spoonful.

"No bowls?"

"This works just as good."

Shrugging, Buffy takes some ice cream. Booth takes a spoonful too. Together they stand there in the soft light of the lamp over the sink. Booth is amazed at how comfortable he feels with this woman who not very long ago, he didn't know or trust. Now, he feels like he could put his life in her hands and know that it would be safe.

Buffy notices that Booth is thinking. "What's going on in that head of yours?" she asks, yawning.

Booth half smiles and Buffy's yawn, realizing this was once a familiar situation: he and Buffy up talking late at night. "Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow. Tired?"

"Very."

"Here, follow me," Booth says reaching out and grabbing Buffy's hand. It's a simple gesture that he didn't even think about until their fingers touched. Grasping her hand, Booth leads Buffy to Parker's bedroom. "Sorry about the boyishness of it."

"I'm too tired to care and I've slept in worse places," Buffy says releasing Booth's hand and climbing into bed.

"Alright, the bathroom is across the hall if you need it and I'll be right upstairs. Goodnight Buffy."

"Goodnight Angel," Buffy says in her exhaustion.

Booth closes the door gently and rests his forehead against it once it is closed. How could holding her hand feel so natural? He isn't Angel anymore, why is the connection still there?

Booth knows the answer, because as much as he doesn't want to admit it, Angel is part of him now. Angel and Buffy were soul mates. They were connected in a way that goes much deeper than a typical relationship. They needed each other before, even after Angel let for L.A. And it's possible

they still need each other now.


End file.
